Night raid on vets home funds

NOTE: OK, I have had enough. Since this was posted on May 6, it has provoked a series of inappropriate comments and attacks, both on Gary Fisher and from Gary Fisher. I have deleted and turned off the comments. It is not the way I like to operate, but I find myself in a crossfire of personal attacks on both sides. I am not in the business of offering a free soapbox for people to abuse each other.

I am going to leave this post up. Some people strongly disagreed with what Fisher had to say, but it does not contain the kind of offensive slurs and attacks that many of the comments did.

As a veteran myself, I regret that we can't have a civilized debate. But for whatever reason, whenever Fisher posts something, that appears to be out of the question.

I would invite Gary Fisher and any of his antagonists who feel so passionately about these issues to start their own blogs. It is free and takes about 10 minutes.

Have at it. I am not going to referee. -- Xoff.

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By Gary Fisher

The shift of $16 million, from the King Veterans Home nursing home to the financially challenged Veterans Trust Fund, has a new title: "interfund transfers" to augment the fund.

The state Department of Veterans Affairs doesn't say much of anything about the transfer of money, but a bill to enrich the trust fund was quietly approved Thursday night after Republican leadership scheduled it for the Assembly floor without reshadowing or fanfare.

Senate Bill 613 passed the Senate in March, but a body armor amendment quickly tabled it. State Rep. Tom Nelson, D-Kaukauna, withdrew the amendment at the last minute Thursday so the bill could be taken up by the full Assembly.

Then Majority Leader Mike Huebsch moved to suspend the rules, to allow the transfer of money that could be invested for the future at the King Home to the trust fund account. The original bill draft stated an amount of $16 million to be transferred.

After passing both houses the measure now goes to Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle for consideration.

According to fund managers and documents pertaining to the financial performance of the embattled trust fund, the agency has written off at least $1.2 million in defaulted loans within a short period of time.

Nevertheless,John Scocos, secretary of WDVA, cautioned county veterans service officers at the CVSO Association spring conference in Waukesha County of a real possibility the Veterans Trust Fund home loan program may go broke on his watch due to a chronic revenue shortfall.

The trust fund, which also pays some of the agency administrative costs and supports the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, traditionally has been supported through interest payments made on a variety of loans to veterans.

Two major sources of revenue fund the programs and salaries at the WDVA headquarters in Madison, not including the veteran's homes at King and Union Grove. For instance, the VTF Fund 582 consists of revenues primarily from interest and prepayments on personal and home improvement loans, and the primary mortgage home loan programm while Fund 583 is interest and prepayments on mortgage loans.

The bill would also provide "full, free tuition" for qualifying" vets attending the UW System and technical colleges, ensure eligibility for reduced tuition fees for surviving spouses that haven't remarried, and the children of certain deceased veterans.

The measure would also give WDVA more information technology capabilities and staff.